Long-cane raspberries

Steve and Val explain the quick way to juicy raspberries

TRADITIONALLY, summer fruit-bearing raspberry canes were bought as one-year-old plants that had been cut down to about 18in (45cm). They were sold bareroot and planted during the dormant season between November and March.

Originally a slow process

These varieties produce their fruit on the previous year’s growth of canes, so the new canes would establish in the ground and produce new, young canes that would be allowed to grow for the first year and produce side shoots to flower and bear fruit the next year. This would be about 18 months after planting, so was not ideal for the impatient gardener.